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“20 She said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. 21I went away full, and the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi, when the Lord has testified against me and the Almighty has brought calamity upon me?’” Ruth 1: 20-21

What are your first thoughts when you hear someone talking about Ruth? Is it that her husband died? Is it Ruth saying, “…Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)? Or is it that she eventually meets Boaz and lives happily ever after?

For most people these are the things we think of when we hear of Ruth. However, there is another part of the story that is just as important. Ruth’s mother-in-law, Naomi, has just lost her two sons and her husband. Can you imagine the pain she is suffering? No one should blame her for wanting to change her name to Mara! She had a reason to be bitter towards God… I mean come on, He took away her family!

But the incredible part is… there is so much more than that! Even through her times of bitterness, God still blessed Naomi through Ruth. God still loved her and did immeasurably more than we could ever ask, think or imagine.

Like Naomi, there are so many times in my life I want to change my name to what the world says about me:

Bitter

Impatient

Selfish

Unloving

Ugly

Unworthy

Unacceptable

The list goes on.

However, I am blessed to be loved by the creator of this universe. The God who changes our name and continues to immeasurably more. We never have to play the game “He loves me, He loves me not?” because the answer is always the same: He loves me!

No matter how many times I turn away from Him or question what He is doing in my life or why He did what He did… He is always by my side and unconditionally loves me every step of the way.

So when you are wanting to quit and give up on life remember that God has named each of us!